Chamomile & Elderflower Botanical Elixir [Recipe]

6th January 2018

Rough week? Reaching for the wine glass when it’s only Monday? Or perhaps like me, you’ve just had “the worst” start to your weekend. I was supposed to drive to my beautiful friend’s birthday and farewell celebration but my car had other ideas. Panicked, anxious and overwhelmed with the summer heat and all that car talk – I was stuck. I felt deflated after the initial stress had passed. But instead of giving up, instead of crumbling under pressure, I created a refreshing twist to the usual tonic. The perfect blend of soothing, calming chamomile and sweet-scented elderflower, served chilled. Aromatic and refreshing.

CHAMOMILE

Chamomile is well-known for it’s soothing, calming, relaxing effect. It’s one of the most widely consumed herbal teas in the world. And it offers a number of benefits to mind and body when consumed, applied topically or used in aromatherapy. But I learned recently that, as a precaution, pregnant women should avoid chamomile tea because it may increase the risk of miscarriage.

ELDERFLOWER

Better known for its sweet scent and flavour in food and drink, you can also find health benefits from elderflower when consumed as a tea. Anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties claim to support immune health. But, there are few studies to support this – so I’m just going to enjoy it for its flavour. Hence why the ingredients use the syrup instead.

ELIXIR

By definition, an elixir is a particular type of medicinal solution. Nothing magical or mystical here. Just the power of herbal medicine.

Make your Botanical Elixir

You’ll Need:

3 Chamomile Tea Bags or the equivalent in loose tea

1 tablespoon Elderflower Syrup (or Cordial)

Boiled Water

Cold Filtered Water

Ice

A 1.5L jug & your drinking glass

The EASIEST Instructions ever:

Brew your chamomile tea in a mug with one cup of boiled water. You want it to be quite strong but not bitter. If you need to remove the teabags after some time, then do so. I didn’t remove the teabags at all and it was perfect, even after it had cooled.

Once cooled, pour your chamomile tea into the jug.

Add a tablespoon of elderflower syrup (or cordial).

Add ice and filtered water to the top of the jug.

Take your glass, pour.

Enjoy each moment of refreshing, sweet, calm.

OPTIONS: Instead of Elderflower, you can add your preferred ‘sweetener’ such as agave nectar. And you can garnish with mint or dried chamomile flowers.

Why the Wine Glass?

One of my goals is to minimize the normalisation of alcohol in our day to day life. The wine glass serves to show us that we don’t have to reach for the bottle when we feel stressed. It serves to show us that we can replace alcohol with more beautiful and natural drinks. I’ve noticed many people kicking the habit this year and I’m supporting that and offering alternatives that can help us feel uplifted and healthy.